Ethiopian, Sudanese and Egyptian officials declared on Friday that they have "cleared the way" for the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile. The agreement has been reached after four days of deliberation started on January 28.

In a joint statement issued after four days of talks in Washington D.C., the foreign ministers and water resource ministers of the three countries said they have agreed on a schedule for filing the dam, and other key issues.

The final deal is expected to signed by the three countries by the end of February after the agreement is reviewed, the statement said.

"Documents to be signed will be further deliberated by legal team supported by technical team. This will continue next week to complete [the development of a] comprehensive document within 30 days," Seleshi Bekele (Ph.D.), Ethiopia's Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy said in a tweet.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is over 70 percent complete, is an over $5 billion project set to be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa. Egyptiona officials, however, have repeatedly raised concerns that the filling of the dam could drastically reduce the amount of water Egypt gets from the Nile.

In addition to the officials from Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass have taken part in the discussions as well.

Sources: Twitter Account of Dr. Seleshi Bekele Awulachew, The New York Times, News 4 Jax

Image: PM Abiy visiting the work at GERD a day after a preliminary deal is reached between the three countries in Washington
(Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia (Twitter))